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1 February 2023
From Spencer Weart, Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, US
Graham Lawton does well to point out that a civilisation-destroying climate catastrophe with warming of 4°C to 5°C, also known as the "business as usual" scenario, is no longer the most likely outcome, if indeed it ever was( 14 January, p 28 ). However, as he acknowledges, there is much uncertainty in our understanding of …
1 February 2023
From Arthur Dahl, president of the International Environment Forum, Geneva, Switzerland
There is a fundamental contradiction between two of Vaclav Smil's innovations to save humanity. He calls for more efficient photosynthesis, while also suggesting the need for a planetary sunshade to control global warming( 7 January, p 38 ). However, such geoengineering wouldn't only cool Earth, but also reduce the efficiency of photosynthesis at the global …
1 February 2023
From Ron Dippold, San Diego, California, US
There is nothing democratising about web3, which runs on the blockchain, the technology that underpins cryptocurrencies. It is about replacing control of the web by giant tech corporations with possible future control of it by criminals and feudal lords( 21 January, p46 ). And, as with cryptocurrencies, you would trade ownership of the web by …
1 February 2023
From John Davies, Lancaster, UK
Clare Wilson reports on challenges to the "nil by mouth" rule that patients shouldn't consume liquids for 2 hours before surgery. It is surprising how entrenched medical practices can be! However, she might like to know that, more than 30 years ago, women were allowed to drink and to suck sweets during labour, despite the …
1 February 2023
From David Matheson, Northampton, UK
Marlene Zuk warns against attributing feelings to non-human animals that are more commonly ascribed to us, saying it is stifling inquiry. It appears that the notion that any non-human might have fun is something of an anathema( 14 January, p 27 ). Just as we can't know what goes on in a pre-verbal toddler's head …
1 February 2023
From Jonathan Schott, Professor of Neurology, UCL; Chief Medical Officer, Alzheimer’s Research UK; Gill Livingston, Professor in Psychiatry of Older People, UCL; Naaheed Mukadam, Alzheimer’s Society Senior Clinical Research Fellow, UCL; Claire Gillan, Associate Professor, Global Brain Health Institute, Trinity College Dublin; Jennifer Lim, Senior Lecturer in Public Health, University of Wolverhampton and
We are concerned your coverage of Alzheimer's Research UK's Think Brain Health campaign will undermine a vital initiative to raise awareness of widely accepted modifiable dementia risk factors( 28 January, p 19 ). Your article is critical that evidence for dementia prevention comes chiefly from observational studies rather than randomised controlled trials (RCTs). For many …
1 February 2023
From John Davnall, Manchester, UK
Your look at the limits of knowledge asks us to imagine a woman who has been brought up in a black, white and grey room, so that everything she sees is in monochrome. She studies colour in the abstract, then goes out to witness a polychromatic world. This is used to exemplify that some knowledge …
Issue no. 3424 published 4 February 2023
